Seeing what is right with kids today

Carbon County Fair is over. The kids who did well are now at the Wyoming State Fair to see how they do against the top in the state.

Fair week is always an exhausting week for me, so I can’t even imagine what it is like for the parents and grandparents who spend the week at fair working with their children, advising them on how to get their animals ready to show.

These families have spent months working with their kids, reminding them to do chores, taking them to pre-fair shows, loading the animals in trailers and then taking time off of work to spend a week in a camper or tent at the fairgrounds.

Many of the parents fulfilled other duties like volunteering as superintendents at the fair. When their children were showing, parents were nervously pacing the multi-plex building, giving their children hand signals on how to straighten their prospective animal or encouraging them to slow down on the fashion show runway.

Many of these parents have more than one child participating, and the children are participating in more than one event.

It’s that type of involvement that makes the kids in the Platte Valley successful.

One thing I kept hearing over and over again from the judges was the respect the competitors showed toward the judges. Respect is something that is taught and handed down from generation to generation.

In a time when we are constantly hearing what it is wrong with the younger generation, it is nice to see what is right with them.

It’s not easy raising children in this day and age. As parents, we are competing against many things that can influence our children. Sometimes we wonder if they are listening or even noticing the sacrifices that we, as parents, make.

Personally, I loved it when their faces were beaming with smiles when their work was rewarded with a high-placing ribbon.

I am pretty sure the parents and grandparents were too.

Kudos to the parents and grandparents who take the time to work with the children and raise them to appreciate that hard work is rewarded in many ways.

Congratulations to all the kids who participated in the fair. Be proud of what you have accomplished and remember to thank those who helped you along the way.